Blue Ridge Country Sept/Oct 2023 - 32

These former rail routes feature generally easy grades, lots of
rich history, inviting pit stops and plenty of fall foliage.
BY MALEE BAKER OOT
T
he Appalachian Mountains
were the first formidable
obstacle to America's
railroading boom-a
vexing challenge for engineers.
Still, by the late 1800s, the region
was crisscrossed with rail lines, linking
remote, mountain-cradled communities
and expediting the extraction of the region's
natural resources-especially coal
and timber. But, this railroading boom
was relatively short-lived-and by the
1960s, many of the region's rail lines
were being abandoned.
Today, many of these Appalachian
rail routes have been reimagined as railsto-trails
projects, transformed into multiuse
recreational thoroughfares. Countrywide,
the non-profit Rails-to-Trails
Conservancy maintains more than 2,000
rail trails, located in all 50 states-and
there are plenty of great options in the
Blue Ridge region. Here are a just a few
spectacular regional rail-trails to cycle,
walk or run:
VIRGINIA CREEPER TRAIL, VIRGINIA
Traversing a wild corner of southwest
Virginia,
the Virginia Creeper Trail
stretches from the town of Abingdon to
Whitetop Station, situated on the Virginia-North
Carolina border in the Mount
Rogers National Recreation Area.
Following the course of the historic
Virginia-Carolina Railway, much of the
34-mile trail weaves through portions of
the Jefferson National Forest, hugging
the banks of Whitetop Laurel Creek,
one of Virginia's stocked trout streams.
An ideal pit stop, the town of Damascus
sits approximately at the route's midpoint,
offering a collection of trailside
inns and eateries, along with more than
a half dozen outfitters offering bicycle
rentals, shuttle services and cycling gear.
And, between Whitetop Station and
Damascus, the route is almost entirely
downhill, dropping nearly 1,600 feet
over the 17-mile stretch of trail. Between
Damascus and Abingdon, the trail undulates
gently-but still climbs enough
to offer a photogenic view of the South
Holston River from the South Holston
trestle. At the trail's western terminus,
the town of Abingdon is anchored by
a walkable historic district spanning 20
blocks full of shops and dining, while the
Virginia Creeper Trail Bike Shop offers
bicycle rentals and trail shuttles.
GREENBRIER RIVER TRAIL, WEST
VIRGINIA
The longest rail-trail in West Virginia,
the 78-mile Greenbrier River Trail traces
the path of eponymous Greenbrier
River, the longest free-flowing waterway
in the Mountain State.
The recreational
route follows the
historic path of the Chesapeake & Ohio
Railroad, a freight and passenger line
that once linked West Virginia with the
Midwest's booming industrial towns,
arriving in the Greenbrier Valley in the
early 1900s. For decades, the rail line
was largely subsidized by coal and timber
harvested from West Virginia. But,
OPENING SPREAD:
The Virginia Creeper
Trail connects
several small towns
over its 57 miles.
LEFT: West Virginia's
Greenbrier River
ties together former
whistlestop towns
over 78 miles.
FACING PAGE:
Nantahala Bikeway's
short length crosses
a stretch of North
Carolina's Nantahala
Gorge.
GREENBRIER VALLEY WEST VIRGINIA
32 BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
http://www.BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
Blue Ridge Country Sept/Oct 2023

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